My Life and Shorely Chic

Very exciting new for me! http://www.oliverue.blogspot.com/ is featuring one of my items as a giveaway on her 300th post. I was super excited to find out she wanted my item :) You should enter to win!

Now that I have shared my background and inspirations, I'm going to talk a little about starting Shorely Chic -- my life these days, daily shopping ventures, craft-making, promoting, ETSY, etc...

Here are a quick few photos of my summer:

That's me writing Shorely Chic in the sand for a potential Etsy Banner :) It didn't work, but it was fun trying!

Me riding a bike in Watch Hill, RI

Cheersing to "Life is Good" in Watch Hill again

One of my favorite trips - Lake Tahoe with a bunch of friends for an incredible wedding - Congratulations John and Libby!!

Ok so work:

It's been really really fun trying to start my own business, and SUCH a learning experience. I go on the Etsy forums all the time and learn so much about running a small business. After four years of college, I've never learned this much about marketing and business. 

Working a full time job, I do all of my work before work, getting up around 7, I use my lunch hour to pop into the thrift, antique, and interior stores in the area, and after work I do crafts and computer work. 

Brian gets out of bed at 5 to go to his job, so I get to sleep for another hour or two and then it's Shorely Chic time before work. I love it -- I make a cup of coffee, watch the Today show, and plop on the living room floor and do a lot of work with the hot glue gun - it's a love-hate relationship, I love how easily I can stick things together, but when I get burned, we're enemies. The light is also really good in the morning so I take lots of pictures then.  

Here are some of my favorite crafts:

Shorely Chic Container I made from a Costco coffee can, 10.00

Nautical Footstool made my my mom

Shell Wreath, the first of many, also made by my momma

We gave this shell frame to Brian's mom for her birthday, she loved it!

This is the shabby chic frame and starfish vase - love them together!

Shell and Wicker Tray, made this one morning during the Today Show, felt so productive on my way in to work! 

I found this lantern in a thrift shop and it was a dark brown. I spray painted it and added a pretty green colored candle. Love that on the table on my porch. 

I made this frame from pretty scrap-booking paper

I made this one from shells I got from my new supplier, Charlotte, who has 84 years worth of a shell collection, it's truly amazing :) 

Shell Shadowbox

My mom made this beautiful wine sack out of fabric we purchased from a local shop...

LOVE this one - I had it in my office with the starfish leaning up against it, our receptionist walked in and thought it would be pretty attached - so I did it, and I love it!